What Is The Secret To Get Your Butter Cream Really Red??
Decorating By Confectioners_Conundrum Updated 25 Apr 2009 , 3:54am by sweet_teeth
I have now mixed in 3 of the iwlton color gels ( the RED RED color) into about 4 pounds of butter cream. It is STILL only pink!! What am I doing wrong? Will it darken as it dries or something??
I've always done it this way with GREAT results - start by adding a dark pink to your icing - get it as pink as you can get it. THEN start adding the red. I find that when I've added the red at this point - it still looks almost like a red/orangey color. You do have to add a good amount but not a gallon of it. 
The secret is that when it dries it gets darker - it will be a gorgeous crimson red. When you think you've gotten it as dark as you can - take a small smear and put it on a plate or something and let it dry for about 15 mintues. The color you have at that point will be the red your going to get when the cake sets. Don't be frustrated. Red is a pain but it is obtainable. Check out my pictures - there is a graduation cake with red roses and red trim - this is how dark it can get by using the method I've written about. No worrys.
The Americolor gel pastes are MUCH more concentrated than the Wilton colors.
Additionally, you are trying to color a HUGE amount of buttercream. It will take a LOT of any color to color that much BC.
Colors do deepen with time. For darker colors, coloring the day/night before is best. The true color won't show for 24 hours.
Oooo, good question and good answers. I always have trouble with red. I have tried the americolors for navy blue and it worked nicely. Will have to order red!
Oh I'm afraid your icing might taste bad with that much Wilton Red Red. It does not taste good at all and I found it does not get as red as Wilton No Taste Red.
The icing will always look pink until you let it sit a while..that is key, it has to dry. You should experiment. It does take some practice but you can get a really good red with a lot less color than you think.
Time is the biggest secret! Cover the bowl and walk away for at least 2 hours, if not longer. Overnight is best.
Additonally, when you finish, save the leftovers. Wrap it in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag in the freezer. Then you will have a base for the next time you need red. I always have some in my freezer for the next time.
I buy mine from http://www.dixiesicing.com/
It's super red w/ no sour taste. She also has black.
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